[TTC Study] Chapter 79 of the Tao Teh Ching

[Marblehead]

MH,

 

I think it is time to move on to 80.

 

 

I was thinking that same thing. Tomorrow morning feels like a good time.

[Elliot]

End any sort of conflict/debate with love and calmness. Throughout a dispute, yes, you may feel so strongly about something, that you must be right, be aware always of the opinions of others.

During a quarrel, you will notice moments of quiet peace, this is the way any quarrel should end.

 

Nature cannot create a storm that lasts for ever, so too should we be able to be flexible and change when we feel its right.

Edited November 10, 2011 by Elliot

[Marblehead]

Nature cannot create a storm that lasts for ever, so too should we be able to be flexible and change when we feel its right.

 

Nice.

[Sean OD]

A Sage honors his commitments, but does not feel the need to enforce them on others. A Sage gives, but does not expect/need anything in return.

 

Simply, that's what the passage means to me.

[ChiDragon]

"A Sage honors his commitments, but does not feel the need to enforce them on others. A Sage gives, but does not expect/need anything in return."

 

Simply, that's what the passage means to me.

 

There was no doubt that is exactly how this chapter was interpreted....

[Protector]

Let's take a break from the shamanic talk and come back to this

This is the first chapter I saw so let's use as an example of what I meant in the other thread

 

My interpretation:

After an event, a scar/mark/something that says that the event happened, is left behind

Let's say it's a horrible scar or an illness that appeared because of a cause

A normal person would curse it and try to remove it but sage knows about the tao and in a way can predict it, but for some reason the scar is still left on the sage

 

I can think of three things from this

 

Going with the flow, the sage could have avoided the event but he allowed it to happen and didn't curse it because that would make it worse so instead he is letting it go and chi keeps flowing, and since chi keeps flowing, something good can happen. To understand this better, replace the word scar with word experience. Some people could keep thinking about the bad experience while others learn from it and allow others learn and chi of knowledge keeps moving.

 

It doesn't matter, you think something bad happened now and it's horrible. The sage would realize what he was given and being a part of the flow now, he allows it to be because this is not over yet. This one even may seem important now but "the way of heaven has no favorites" so the sage knows about the big picture.

 

Wu Wei, all above can be described as pointers for understanding wu wei and I shouldn't be explaining that to you at this point

 

and these are my numerous things I got from this one chapter, I bet if I sat a little longer thinking about this I could think of more

 

 

edit: oh, and by the way, doesn't this whole philosophical explanation sound a little bit shamanic?

Edited January 27, 2012 by Sinfest

[Marblehead]

Let's take a break from the shamanic talk and come back to this

 

Chicken!!! Hehehe.

 

Yeah, scars. Ill feelings as a result of some past happening (scars pointing to something negative).

 

Sure, we could take revenge. But that doesn't remove the scar.

 

Better to just let it go and treat it as a life's lesson.

 

 

Okay. Back to Shamanism and Alchemy.

[Protector]

...and nothing of value was lost

[Marblehead]

...and nothing of value was lost

 

True. And if we learned a lesson then something of value was gained.